31-year-old imposter arrested in Coimbatore college mock drill death

College students in Tamil Nadu are not safe from the evil designs of impostors, if Friday’s arrest of 31-year-old G Arumugham in connection with the death of N Logeswari (19), the Coimbatore college student, is any indication.

Logeswari, a second year degree student of Kovai Kalaimagal Arts and Science College, died on Thursday evening when she was pushed down from the second floor of the college building by Arumugham as part of the hitherto unheard Disaster Management Training Programme.

Arumugham who claimed that he was a National Disaster Management Authority certified trainer has been found to be an impostor as he conceded to the police that he does not have any qualification of that kind.

The NDMA too has stated that it does not have anything to do with Arumugham and the course being conducted by him was fake. Rajendra Rathnoo, Commissioner (Disaster Management), Government of Tamil Nadu had told reporters that his office was in the dark about the training programme held by Arumugham.

Arumugam , who was interrogated by the police conceded that he had held 1,467 such training sessions since 2011 and has made a fortune out of it. Though he does not charge any amount from the college management, the students who attend the training offered by him have to shell out Rs 50 per person for participation, according to sources in Coimbatore Police who interrogated him.

“He tells students that the certificate issued by him would enable them to get grace marks during admission to professional colleges and in Tamil Nadu Public Service Examination, “ said a police officer who grilled Arumugham. Further investigation by the police would be possible only after they get the custody of Arumugham.  .

Arumugham is known in colleges as “Disaster” Arumugham because of his claims that he was an authority in “disaster management” Police officials said that he  has employed five assistance for .’negotiations’ with private arts and colleges in the State to arrange training sessions.

In 2015, Chennai Police had arrested Ravi Kumar Reddy, who was working as a “professor” in Saveeta Engineering College as a power system expert.

Investigations had revealed that Prof Ravi Kumar Reddy was a class 8 drop out from Guntur in Andhra Pradesh. The “professor” had cheated the faculty and students for three years before the police zeroed in and exposed his fake identity.